Celtic hero Matt O’Riley appears to be the subject of further transfer speculation just over a year after making his Parkhead exit.
O’Riley left Celtic for Brighton for a club-record £26m fee as the young Dane made his big move to the English Premier League.
Injury blighted O’Riley’s start to his Brighton career when he was crocked in his first start for the club in the Carabao Cup back in August 2024.
O’Riley made just 25 appearances for the Seagulls as he struggled to get regular game time and the Celtic icon was then sent to Marseille on loan.
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The Brighton midfielder has thrived in Ligue 1 and now, it looks like O’Riley is being eyed for a permanent move to the French top flight.
Celtic’s sell-on clause for Matt O’Riley as Marseille eye permanent move
Sky Sports are reporting that Marseille want to make O’Riley’s temporary move to France a permanent one.
After just 14 appearances, including four in the Champions League where O’Riley impressed against Real Madrid, boss Roberto De Zerbi now wants the former Celtic star as part of his permanent squad.
Celtic hold a 10% sell-on clause on O’Riley meaning that if Brighton recoup their £26m paid, the Bhoys would receive £2.6m.
It’s understood, via the Daily Record, that the sell-on clause is not profit dependent.
Why Marseille want Celtic hero Matt O’Riley permanently
Simply put, O’Riley has been one of Marseille’s best players this season. The ex-Celtic man has been in great form scoring one goal and creating two assists.
Here are his stats from Fotmob:
- Average rating: 6.96
- Minutes played: 620
- Passing accuracy: 89.3%
- Chances created per game: 1.51
- Touches in opposition box per game: 3.51
It’s clear De Zerbi is a huge fan of the midfielder and if this move comes off, Celtic will be quids in.
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